It Gets Old Fast | Real Life: Modding a Nerf

[Skurj]

Great post.. In the past the extent of my mods has been springs, shocks, exhaust, shifters, intakes.. I keep wanting to add more power to the BRZ.. but this post confirms what my brother keeps telling me..He's got the 'project' (ae86) in the garage that can't spend too much time out of it..

[Fett4Real]

Sounds like you need friends and a life outside of the car if this consumes you that much and its so unbearable you make such a rant.

[Dezoris]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

I assume you're talking about build quality (your first video seemed to be at least 30% about the build quality) and some things that appear under-engineerd (i.e. DI failure, cam position issue, chirping)? Care to elaborate a little bit on what you felt their core values used to be and where they have shifted?

I just meant they are now focused more on appliances, the youth market in Japan has shifted. Biggest sellers are smaller/hybrid cars. Toyota is showing some signs of interest again in enthusiast cars but, you can bet anything post FRS will have battery packs. Honda same deal. Honda Japan took their Halo sports car and handed it to USA to design and build that just shows priorities. Honda, Toyota dropped out of plenty of motorsports. Mazda is most active but that's if you want a Miata. Nissan is a bit different but looking forward to 370csucessor.

[Dezoris]

Originally Posted by evomike

have you tracked a car before? the brake issue could be driver error there is no reason a car this light would eat brakes up like that.

Tracked it. Its not that its the cold daily driving without maintaining a transfer layer that trashed them.

Originally Posted by Fett4Real

Sounds like you need friends and a life outside of the car if this consumes you that much and its so unbearable you make such a rant.

Yeah that's what this is all about, will you be my friend so I can be happy with my car?

[Deep Six]

I certainly didn't interpret your post as a rant, what I saw was a wake up call for anyone thinking of heading down the yellow brick mod road. Don't think I'll ever understand why the discussion over stock versus modded brings out the worst in human nature but it does.

Everyone of us has a different dream/goal/plan for our respective car and they are all good because it's ours. Just because some spend time and money raising the performance threshold doesn't infer a lack of respect for the car in stock form.

I have to agree with ZDan and some others that your experience has been more aggravating than it might needed to have been but you were willing to go "all in" even with the climate challenges. My path has been much slower, starting with suspension, wheels and tires, pads and fluid, cooling and most recently NA power upgrades. I wanted to improve on an incremental basis, evaluating each modification for its own merit. I wish I had more time for track events(only 4 so far) but that will surely change as some major work issues are clearing. At the risk of being told again that I bought the wrong car, I fully expect this car to be as capable as any of my track friends with "faster" cars and the progress so far has been remarkable.

I actually enjoy the few hours it takes to swap wheels and pads, strip the daily parts off and load up on E85. Not so much switching it back and cleaning off all the rubber marks.

[airjonny]

Very good read. Your YouTube channel is entertaining as well. Killing the warranty is the main reason why I wouldn't mess with the car early on.

I also like your constructive criticism of the car.

[djmm]

Thia car can still be perfectly appreciated even when driven less than 60mph. I also agree with previous post that if you want a fast car, buy a fast car.

I think modding is a bottomless pit regardless it's 86 or any other car.
I think I'm one if the minorities here who thinks that the car's look is just perfect as it is. (Read: I actually find the rear lights look nice especially in white colour 86)

[IAmNotTheDriftKing]

If you are going to build a fast track car. Get something cheap and something with a lot of parts available. This is the reason why the Miata is so popular. In a few years our cars will hopefully be just like the Miata cause I would love to turn it into a race car. Either that or I buy a 240sx and keep the FRS for DD. Even if you break something on the track you can easily replace it, no problem!

[MaddBaggins]

After spending a ton of money modding and changing mods on my Landcruiser and then wishing I had kept it more simple, I realized I will be much happie with this car if I just enjoy it for what it is. A few cosmetic changes, maybe an exhaust someday, but thats it.
My dad always liked his GTO's stock and original. I feel the same way.

[Fett4Real]

Originally Posted by Dezoris

Tracked it. Its not that its the cold daily driving without maintaining a transfer layer that trashed them.



Yeah that's what this is all about, will you be my friend so I can be happy with my car?

No real life friends out side of the internet....seriously though doesnt sound like you have a life out side of the car.

[charged86]

i still have not had an issue with my install or kit. since install.

[SuiSid3l]

Guess I'm one of the few that finds that driving the car is only half the fun, working on the car (albeit from some minor annoyances at times) is just as enjoyable to me.

Maybe if working on your car is that much of a burden this might not be the thing for you? Or buy a winter clunker and keep your car in the garage?

You basically have to understand mods are a total throwaway. Don't put any money into your car that your looking to get back. Your paying for the experience, its not an investment. This is exactly why I make sure I have all my bases covered before I put a dime into this car and I have yet to regret doing it.

[jflogerzi]

@Dezoris Thanks for sharing your experiences. Its good to show people things are not as rosy as one might think when modding cars. So far I have been pretty lucky with parts. Everything has worked with little issue(Still NA) I can feel you on brakes. Still using stock rotors and calipers with aftermarket Hybrid pads. The Squealing can be annoying, but I just tell people because race car. People just need to find that balance and control themselves. Modding should be enjoyed and when its not anymore your doing something wrong and need to take a step back and evaluate. The Twins are a great car representing a great foundation but in its stock form, in the twisties it can handle itself just fine in stock forum. But people who sign up on this forum are not interested in stock. They want to improve and make the car there's.

[ET86]

Originally Posted by mush

U gotta pay to play

Agree, that's why I keep it simple. Standard mods springs, exhaust, wheels and maybe intake. Daily driven no track stuff that $hit kills brakes destroys tires and put heavy strain on the engine. You said it U gotta pay to play.